outside money

January 17, 2020 -
It's been a decade since the Supreme Court ruling opened a new era of Big Money influence in politics, heightening concerns over corruption and creating new barriers for lower-income candidates and candidates of color. But democracy advocates and their allies have responded by building a movement that links anti-corruption measures with broader reforms.

February 14, 2018 -
The news that North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest solicited millions of dollars from a Durham businessman for supposedly "independent" political groups highlights loopholes in state campaign finance law that need to be closed.

February 12, 2018 -
Eight years since the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision lifting limits on political spending, wealthy interests have gained even more influence over elections while transparency has suffered. But grassroots efforts are underway to shift power back to ordinary citizens.

October 6, 2017 -
The powerful gun lobby group has invested heavily in members of Congress from the South, distorting politics in a nation where polls show the overwhelming majority of people support new gun regulations.

November 18, 2016 -
House Bill 2 took center stage in North Carolina's elections as candidates were targeted based on their stance on the controversial "bathroom bill." In six state contests, including the still-unsettled governors race, the law may have determined the winner.

November 17, 2016 -
While the high-profile battle against the Dakota Access Pipeline continues, fights are also underway around the South to block new gas pipelines. Protests are planned in North Carolina this week against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, while opponents of the Mountain Valley Pipeline just had a big court win in West Virginia.

November 11, 2016 -
Independent political spending groups have nearly doubled the total they spent in the state during the last presidential election, dishing out at least $28 million to help elect their preferred candidates. The race for governor, still without a declared winner, was especially costly.

November 8, 2016 -
The battleground state's elections board uses outdated software that often prevents the public from learning who outside groups are targeting in their ad buys. Reports on some $2.3 million spent in the state by these groups lack this basic information as of the day before the election.

August 10, 2016 -
Hundreds of businesses have publicly opposed North Carolina's House Bill 2 for discriminating against transgender people. But even after Gov. McCrory signed the bill into law, some of those same companies continued funding a super PAC that's spending millions to boost his re-election chances.

January 22, 2016 -
Six years since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down restrictions on political spending, overwhelming numbers of Americans across the partisan spectrum says it's time for far-reaching reforms — and the message is getting through to elected officials.